A Royal decadence @ Spice Terrace, J W Marriott
J W Marriott, Bangalore located at the heart of the CBD has played host to many a food festival and events over the past couple of years. But it was not until last week, that their signature Indian Ala Carte Restaurant – Spice Terrace received a makeover with the introduction of a new menu crafted by Chef Abdul Quddus. I was invited for this very exclusive do with a few other food aficionados to experience it first-hand.
The long table looked extremely inviting and equally attractive were the floral arrangement on it. I am not sure if it was Ikebana but the Lilies set the right mood for the upcoming soiree. I had missed the round of pre-dinner drinks and as we sat down, we started with the dishes in due order as per the menu laid out next to us in a very majestic old-school messenger format from the golden ages. A very classy and exquisite attention to detail I must infer.
We started with the Appetisers and the Murgh Gilafi Sheekh made a gracious entrance with its succulent texture and mild spicy notes. The Zaitooni Malai Jhinga, Prawns in cheese and hung curd with Olives and Cardamom which followed was undoubtedly the best dish served in the evening and I definitely suggest to try it out for sure. The Gosht Galouti was a bit off-beat as far as the taste of the Lamb is concerned, but was definitely one that stands out. We also tasted the Quinoa with Aloo Bukhara Kebab and the Paneer Tikka Lazeez from the Vegetarian menu.
It was time for the Shorba to make an appearance and it did so in a very graceful fashion with the the Chicken Stock being poured over the dried Saffron in spices served on the soup dish. I was able to pair Jacob’s Creek Cabernet Sauvignon to go with my meal and its dry and semi-bodied notes went well with the exotic rendition of this dishes.
The Main Course followed next with the Shahi Nalli Nihari and the Murgh Kundan Kaliya, best enjoyed with Assorted Indian Breads like a Butter Naan. The Kadai Jhinga, a semi-spicy red-pepper based gravy is however best enjoyed in my opinion with Plain white rice. I did not want to give the Dal-E-Awadh a miss, and it tasted simply divine with the Plain Naan. The Shahi Gosht Dum Biryani was the final jewel in the crown and chef unveiled it right in front of us before being served afresh from the Dum.
The dessert galore was quite royal in their rendition with the Shahi Malai Tukda bearing traces of sea salt in this otherwise sweet delicacy. The combination did work for me and I was all praises for this unique experiment. The Shahd-e-Jaam and the Kulfi Falooda were the final sweet endings to our gastronomic indulgence.
The new menu launches today and is definitely going to bring back some of the earlier favourites with a new taste and feel along with the dishes mentioned above adding one more culinary destination for traditional Indian Fine Dining to the city.
